Peace Baby Flex
The Peace Baby Flex is a Japanese subminiature pseudo TLR made in the late 1940s or early 1950s, using 17.5mm paper backed rollfilm. The Peace Small Lef and Sholy-Flex are name variants of the same camera. Description The Peace Baby Flex has the shape of a regular twin-lens reflex, but in a miniature form. The lens actually has fixed focus and aperture, and the camera is thus a pseudo TLR. Unlike most other cameras using 17.5mm film, it reportedly takes 12×14mm rectangular pictures (instead of 14×14mm). Frame size: , item 5106. The film is advanced by a knob on the photographer's right. The L-shaped back is hinged to the top, and retained by a simple latch at the bottom. It contains an uncovered red window surrounded by a diamond-shaped metal frame. The viewing hood has three ribs, and is very similar to that of the Baby Flex. The camera's entire front part is covered by a bright metal plate, giving a shiny aspect. The viewing lens has no marking; the taking lens is unnamed, and is only engraved 20mm on the rim, together with a serial number. The everset shutter gives B and I settings. The shutter plate is plain silver with black engravings. Versions The camera exists in a number of versions, only differing by the engravings on the shutter plate. The name appears above the lens, either as PEACE BABY FLEX, PEACE SMALL LEF "Lef" is certainly a misspelling of "Ref", an abbreviation for "Reflex" commonly used in Japan in the 1930s and 1940s. ("Lef" and "Ref" would be pronounced the same by a Japanese locutor.) or SHOLY–FLEX, and various initials are found under the lens, either N.D.N, S.R.N, M.S.N or S.P.S. The known combinations are the following, listed in ascending lens order: * Sholy-Flex, N.D.N; Examples pictured in this page at Submin.com (lens no.220) and as lot no.210 of the May 6, 2005 Christies sale (lens no.318). * Sholy-Flex, S.R.N; Example pictured in Pritchard, p.59 (lens no.661). * Peace Baby Flex, M.S.N; Example pictured in , p.773 (lens no.893). * Peace Small Lef, S.P.S; Example pictured in this page at Submin.com (lens no.1136). * Peace Baby Flex, S.P.S. Examples pictured in Pritchard, p.59 (lens no.1609), as lot no.735 of Westlicht Photographica Auction no.9 (lens no.2483), and as lot no.192 of the May 6, 2005 Christies sale (lens no.2557). Origin The Peace Baby Flex is certainly related to the Peace and Micky, and to the Baby Flex subminiature pseudo TLR. All these cameras were probably made by the same manufacturer. The lens number found on the Peace Baby Flex perhaps belongs to the same range as that of the Micky. The meaning of the various initials found on the shutter plates is completely unknown. Notes Bibliography * P.773. * Pp.58–9. * Item 5106. The Peace Baby Flex is not listed in . Links In English: * Sholy-Flex, lot no.210, and Peace Baby Flex, lot no.192 of sale no.5690 (May 6, 2005) by Christies * Peace Baby Flex, lot no.735 of auction no.9 (May 20, 2006) by Westlicht Photographica Auction * Peace Baby Flex, Peace Small Lef and Sholy-Flex at Submin.com * Brief mention of the Peace Baby Flex and Sholy-Flex among 17.5mm film cameras at Subclub.org Category: Japanese 17.5mm film Category: Japanese pseudo TLR Category: P